I am Andrew Parker: a twin, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, a Lutheran/Catholic hybrid and an Immigration Services Officer. In March of 2012 I left engineering behind, though perhaps not for good. Who knows what the future may bring. God clearly finds our use of free will amusing (or at least ironic). I know that I do.

As I said, I was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. After being diagnosed as dyslexic at age five I was sent to a school called Jemicy in Owings Mills, Maryland. In the three years I spent there my reading ability went from "none" to the level of Tom Clancy novels. (now, I know that Tom Clancy novels aren't particularly sophisticated. But give me a break, I was eight) After Jemicy I went through two more schools, including a very good public school in Baltimore City before ending up at Loyola Blakefield.

I spent seven years at Loyola. I enjoyed my time there. I learned a great deal, made many friends, started running seriously and became more involved in my faith. I constantly discover new ways that my time with the Jesuits influenced me in my beliefs, faith, life goals and intellectual habits. (If only the Jesuits were allowed to marry...ah well)

After Loyola I moved on, studying at the University of Maryland - College Park. I decided to study civil engineering as I enjoyed physics, calculus and carpentry. It seemed logical to me that I would also enjoy civil engineering. Unfortunately, just because I liked A, B and C didn't mean that I was going to like A+B+C. In fact, many of my civil engineering classes ranked among the most boring of my five years at Maryland. In my sophomore year I added another major, Physics. This was what I was looking for: demanding, interesting courses taught by professors who were hired for their teaching ability. I had found a home.

Over the years at Maryland I always considered dropping engineering and adding another major - something interesting like Music, Government, English Literature or Spanish. After all, I liked all of these far more than civil engineering. Why should I stick it out in a program that only caused me aggravation? In my fourth year the reason arrived: Engineers Without Borders. Professor Deborah Goodings suggested that Mike Bronson and I start a chapter of EWB-USA at the University of Maryland. As the chapter expanded and started working on projects it gave a new meaning to civil engineering: it was a tool. This tool could be used for good, worthwhile things that have a dramatic impact on the bienestar of others. (as opposed to projects like the construction of new housing subdivisions, repaving a suburban road for the 50th time, making a new strip mall or building the Inter-County Connector so that Joe Shmoe can get to work five minutes faster...but only for the first few years until the congestion levels catch up.) So I decided to stick it out in Civil Engineering, resulting in a fifth year of undergraduate study and a career I had previously hoped to avoid.

In 2005 I received a Churchill Scholarship to spend one year of study at the University of Cambridge, England. Statistically speaking this gives me a very high likelihood of winning a Nobel Prize. However, this seems unlikely given my career goals. I spent a year in the Engineering department at that old, famous, and unique university before returning to the USA in the fall of 2006.

After returning from England I spent a few months at home before moving to Cuenca, Ecuador where I spent a year and a half working for an engineering firm called Ejeproy. I hoped to parlay my experience there into employment in the humanitarian sector. Since more education seemed to be required, I ended up applying to graduate schools and returned to the United States to pursue a master's degree in Latin American Studies at Georgetown University in 2008. I graduated in the spring of 2010 with my MA and a certificate in Refugees and Humanitarian Emergencies.

I worked as an engineer for Berkel & Company Contractors, a position that was a pleasant surprise. The work was challenging and stimulating, something that is hard to find. In addition, I had a fantastic supervisor and a flexible work environment. I was very happy to work there until I was finally able to break through the door at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, where I started working in March 2013. I will be happy here for a while, perhaps years, as I figure out what my next step is. I would like to work on the policy side of immigration eventually, perhaps after returning to school for a bit. We shall see.

I love my family and my friends. I am a very happy uncle of Luke Raymond Parker and a very proud hermano mayor to Anita and Romina Zhindon. "In the presence of people who already know us and still love us, of a God who knows us perfectly and yet still loves us, we can reveal our souls rather than our bodies. We can revel in the daylight rather than hiding in the darkness. We are free to be more truly ourselves than we are even when alone."

In my free time I enjoy performing music, reading, running, cycling, keeping up on international affairs and only occasionally playing computer games. I raced for the University of Maryland Cycling Team for several seasons and still race the occasional season when I have time to train. I also enjoy rock climbing and have experience and training in setting up top rope anchor systems and outdoor lead climbing. That's about all I can think of at the moment. If you feel that there is anything lacking, let me know. (ALoyolaCC@gmail.com)

Los ángeles no son
enviados a cambiar
un mundo de dolor
por un mundo de paz.
Me ha tocado a mí
hacerlo realidad;
ayúdame, Señor,
a hacer tu voluntad.

Pictures of some of these places/things/activities can be found here.